Bread of Life Food Pantry will be able to move to a larger facility, following action by the Plymouth Common Council Monday. Representatives of the organization say they’ve outgrown their current space at Water and LaPorte streets.
They intend to move to 6770 Michigan Street, north of Plymouth, but before the move could take place, the property had to be rezoned for commercial use.
Plymouth City Attorney Sean Surrisi said that even though commercial activity is the only practical use for the building, the site ended up being zoned Rural Residential. He believes it was simply overlooked when the city’s zoning map was redone around 2008 and no one was present to oppose the change during a public hearing. “There’s some dispute as to whether that business ceased at some point,” he explained. “Otherwise, it would’ve been grandfathered in. Even though the zoning was changed, they could have continued with commercial operations there. But [Keith] Hammonds as the zoning administrator made the determination that that grandfathered status didn’t apply because there hadn’t been continuous operations for a year period there, and so that’s what prompted the zoning request.”
Council members approved the zoning change to Corridor Commercial Monday, following a recommendation by the Plymouth Plan Commission.
Bread of Life says it’s currently working with local churches to organize transportation to the new food pantry. Representatives say they will lease the building initially, but hope to purchase it eventually.
